“These walls are the last remaining witnesses…”

Voices
November 2010
Vol. 1, No. 3
Newsletter of the Psychiatric Survivor Archives of Toronto
Chair
Geoffrey Reaume
Archivist
Mel Starkman
Treasurer
Erick Fabris
Board
Graeme Bacque
Erick Fabris
Ji-Eun Lee
Geoffrey Reaume
Mel Starkman
Louise Tam
Marianne Ueberschar
Don Weitz
Andrea White
© Eugenia Tsao 2010
PSAT co-founder, archivist, and psychiatric survivor Mel Starkman delivers a speech at the
corner of Queen and Shaw to inaugurate a series of newly installed plaques designed to
memorialize patient labour at the asylum formerly located on the CAMH grounds.
“These walls are the last
remaining witnesses…”
Editors
Erick Fabris
Eugenia Tsao
GEOFFREY REAUME
T
o the tune of bagpipes performed by PSAT member PhebeAnn
Wolframe, about one hundred people gathered on Saturday,
September 25th, at the corner of Queen and Shaw, to unveil a series
of nine memorial wall plaques dedicated to remembering the abilities and
unpaid work of patient labourers past on the site of what is now the
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto. After a decade
of advocating for permanent public markers to disclose this history and
five years since the original draft was written by PSAT, nine plaques were
unveiled around the perimeter wall built by patient labourers in 1860 on
the south side and 1888-89 on the east and west sides of the grounds. As
this is the 150th anniversary of the oldest surviving (south) wall, the
timing was considered especially appropriate for the holding of this event.
REAUME, CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Psychiatric Survivor
Archives of Toronto (PSAT)
280 Parliament Street
Toronto, ON
M5A 3A4
(416) 661-9975
[email protected]
psychiatricsurvivorarchives.com
At left and below, PSAT chair
Geoff Reaume describes the
working and living conditions of
patient labourers at the former
asylum in poignant detail.
Bottom right, a close-up shot of
the eighth plaque in the series,
which memorializes the unpaid
labour of patients who
performed agricultural work.
Bottom left, a close-up of the
first plaque, which describes the
purpose and historical
significance of this project.
The walls
have ears
Some sights and scenes from the
September 25th wall plaque unveiling
ceremony. Photographs © Graeme Bacque 2010.
More available at: www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=263398&id=
559782603&l=e3c904b881
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At left, PSAT board member
PhebeAnn Wolframe opens the
unveiling ceremony at the
southwest corner of Queen and
Shaw with a solemn
performance. Behind her, an
onlooker snaps a photo of the
first plaque in the series.
Below left, CAMH VP Susan
Pigott delivers a speech prior to
the wall tour. Below right,
participants, led by Geoff
Reaume, head over to a
memorial plaque near the east
wall. At bottom are close-up
photos of two of the nine
plaques.
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Rising from the ashes
Like its mythical namesake, a historical magazine gains new life for a new
generation of readers.
DON WEITZ
P
hoenix Rising was a unique magazine, not
collective gradually formed. The first collective
simply because it was the only antipsychiatry
consisted of Carla, Cathy McPherson, Mike Yale,
magazine in Canada, but also because it was
Joanne Yale and myself. We held frequent meetings in
published by former psychiatric inmates—
the apartment, and one bedroom became the office
psychiatric survivors. Phoenix Rising began
where we did all the typing, editing and layout. At the
publishing in 1980 only to die in July 1990 due to a
time, we had no word processor or computer. We
lack of funding. During its decade in publication, the
began with very little funding, receiving a $5,400
magazine was a supporter of the international
grant from PLURA, a multi-denominational church
liberation movement. Thirty-two issues were
group which gives start-up grants to grassroots
produced, including three
groups.
double issues exposing
Our first issue
abuses and challenging the
came
out
in March 1980.
This article consists of slightly revised excerpts
tyranny of psychiatry over
The
front
cover featured
from “Phoenix Rising: its Birth and Death,”
people’s lives. We focused
an illustration of the
Border/Lines (Fall 1990), No. 19, pp. 14-17. All
on a wide variety of social,
mythic Phoenix rising
thirty-two issues of Phoenix Rising are now
political and human rights
from its ashes, a symbol
downloadable as PDF files from the PSAT
issues faced by psychiatric
of
the
psychiatric
website.
inmates and survivors:
survivor reborn after a
homelessness, electroshock
kind of death by fire. In
(ECT), forced drugging, and
our first editorial we
the abuse of the rights of women, children and
outlined our goals and philosophy, and coined the
elderly prisoners. We did our best to draw attention
term
“psychiatric inmate” to replace “mental
to the myth of “schizophrenia,” to the deaths caused
patient.” A few excerpts from this editorial, written
by psychiatric treatment, and to the psychiatric
by Carla McKague, are worth quoting:
victimization of gays and lesbians. It is doubtful that
We’d like Phoenix Rising to serve as a rallying point for
another magazine will replace Phoenix in its fearless
inmates and ex-inmates who want to bring about
exposure of psychiatric abuses.
changes in the “mental health” system that is all too
I founded Phoenix Rising with Carla McKague
often damaging rather than helpful, and oppressive
in 1979. We were both psychiatric survivors. We had
rather than liberating… We want to educate the public
read and been inspired by Madness Network News,
about the shortcomings and injustices of the present
the first inmates’ liberation and antipsychiatry
system… and challenge the myths and stereotypes
magazine in the U.S.; In a Nutshell, a newsletter of the
attached to “mental illness”… We’ve chosen to use the
Mental Patients Association in Vancouver; The
term “psychiatric inmates” rather than the conventional
Cuckoo’s Nest, a now-defunct newsletter produced by
one of “mental patient.” We were there… against our
will. We lost such basic rights as the right to choose our
psychiatric survivors of Toronto’s Queen Street
own therapist, the right to refuse treatment, the right to
Mental Health Centre; and the outspoken critical
leave the institution—even the right to make phone calls
writings of dissident psychiatrists such as Thomas
or have visitors. These are all rights which medical
Szasz, Peter Breggin, and R.D. Laing. Unfortunately,
patients take for granted. In short, we lost control over
there are still very few dissident mental health
our lives, in the same way that inmates in prison do. The
professionals in Canada.
fact that what happened to us was called “therapy”
The first four issues were published in one
rather than “punishment” does not obscure this basic
year out of a two-bedroom apartment on Spadina
fact… Our hope is that by providing medical and legal
Road in Toronto. A small, committed editorial
information, and bringing into the open the problems of
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stigmatization and community rejection, by encouraging
inmates and ex-inmates who have something to say to
say it in Phoenix Rising, by pointing out abuses and
injustices in the “mental health” system, and above all by
offering real and constructive alternatives, we can
hasten the day when the terms “mental patient” and
“psychiatric inmate” are things of the past.
given their day in court before imprisonment. However,
people who have committed no crime but have been
judged “insane,” “psychotic,” “suicidal,” or “dangerous”
by one or two psychiatrists are routinely denied the
right to defend their sanity in court before being
committed.
Prisoners are traditionally given a fixed, definite
sentence; they know when they will be released.
Involuntarily committed inmates generally do not know
this… Both prisoners and psychiatric inmates are
victimized by forced “treatment.” Unlike medical
patients, inmates have no right to refuse any psychiatric
treatments, many of which are dangerous and damaging.
… Refusal can easily be overridden by an appeal [by a
psychiatrist] to a review board; it is often interpreted as
just another symptom of the patient’s “mental illness.” …
regular prisoners are often placed in “behaviour
modification”
programs…
sometimes
prisoners,
especially those judged to be rebellious, ringleaders, or
trouble-makers, are used as guinea pigs in dangerous
and even life-threatening psychiatric experiments
utilizing… drugs such as scopolamine and anectine, or
“aversive conditioning.”
To call people “patients” when they are locked up
and treated against their will is not only insulting, but a
lie. Euphemisms such as “mental patient,” “mental
hospital,” and “mental illness” obscure the facts that
“mental hospitals” are in fact psychiatric prisons; that
the institutional psychiatrist is actually a judge-jurywarden; that “psychiatric treatment” is a form of social
control over un-cooperative or non-conforming people
whose lifestyles (usually working class) are too different
from or threatening to that of the upper class white
psychiatrist; that terms such as
“diagnosis” and
“treatment” are fraudulently applied to non-existent
“mental illness”; and that psychiatric “treatment” is
frequently experienced as punishment.
We are not “patients.” We share with our brothers
and sisters in prison the experience of being an inmate:
loss of freedom, loss of civil and human rights, loss of
control over our own bodies and minds, and
stigmatization for life.
With these principles in mind, we began
several columns. One was called “Phoenix Pharmacy,”
in which we warned our readers of the numerous
damaging and often deadly—not “side”—effects of
many psychiatric drugs, effects like brain damage,
tardive dyskinesia (a grotesque and permanent
neurological disorder), and death. At first we focused
on the “minor tranquilizers” such as Valium, but we
soon explored the damage of the antidepressants,
lithium, and powerful neuroleptics—euphemistically
called “major tranquilizers” or “anti-psychotics.” We
started a “Profile” column which highlighted
psychiatric survivors and self-help groups doing
outstanding advocacy, organizational or political
work in the community. We also had a “Rights and
Wrongs” section where we reported some key legal
decisions directly affecting survivors.
Phoenix was probably the first Canadian
periodical to point out the close links between the
psychiatric inmate and the regular prisoner. In an
effort to establish a common understanding of our
oppression, as well as a basis for future solidarity, we
used our first issue’s editorial to bring attention to
the shared experiences of inmates and prisoners:
sensory deprivation, forced treatment, and solitary
confinement. The following are excerpts from the
first editorial on psychiatric inmates and prisoners:
An inmate… is a person who is confined in a hospital,
prison, etc. The “etc” includes “mental hospitals” and
other involuntarily entered institutions in which
people’s daily lives are totally controlled by the
authorities.
People in prison and psychiatric inmates are
deprived of many of the same civil and human rights.
These include freedom of movement; the right to vote;
the right to communicate openly with anyone… the right
to privacy and confidentiality; the right to wear one’s
own clothes; the right to refuse any treatment or
program; the right to be treated with dignity and
respect; and the right to appeal any abuse or violation of
these and other rights while locked up.
In addition, people judged to be suffering from a
“mental illness” and about to be involuntarily committed
to a psychiatric institution are automatically denied the
right to due process… [as well as] the right to legal
counsel during commitment procedures. Due process is
the legal right to a trial or public hearing before loss of
freedom. People accused of criminal acts are routinely
Our fall 1980 issue included a feature on the
tragic death of 19-year-old Aldo Alviani. Although
there was an inquest into Alviani’s death, the case
simply served to whitewash a psychiatric crime. The
Coroner’s Jury decided the cause of Alviani’s death
was “therapeutic misadventure”—in other words,
just a medical accident—after Alviani was forcibly
subjected to roughly ten times the usual dose of
Haldol in less than twenty-four hours. Phoenix Rising
published a press release covering Alviani’s death as
well as a report on the demonstration sparked by the
news of his demise. This was Toronto’s first public
protest against psychiatric drugging and institutional
deaths.
WEITZ, CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
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REAUME, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Following the unveiling remarks, a tour was
held of all nine plaques during which the wording
PSAT co-founder, Archivist, and former Queen
on each plaque was read out at each stop and the
Street patient Mel Starkman gave the unveiling
images described, including photos of Audrey B.
remarks on behalf of the archives, while Susan
and Jim P. who are included on two of the plaques
Pigott, Vice President Communications and
to represent unpaid female and male patient
Community Engagement, spoke on behalf of CAMH.
labourers who toiled behind the 19 th-century
Many thanks were expressed to everyone who
patient-built walls. Along with two workshops on
supported this year’s long effort. This includes
the south side, these walls are the last remaining
PSAT members who sustained the project from its
witnesses to the exploitation of patients’ labour as
inception, wrote the wording for the plaques and
well as tangible symbols of their skills.
organized fundraising, notably the Words on the
The plaques are arranged thematically, and,
Wall event last April organized by Andrea White
for maximum public exposure all along with wall,
and Chris Reed. Thanked too were the many artists
at each of the four corners of the grounds and
who donated their artwork in support of the
inside the property where
plaques; many members of the
patients today can see the plaques
community who donated
“The unveiling of these
about a history that is very much
money to make the plaques a
their own. An introductory plaque
plaques … marks the first
reality;
the
CAMH
at the busy corner of Queen and
Empowerment Council for
time in Canada that the
Shaw
streets
provides
an
their years of support, with
overview of patient labour history
unpaid toil of psychiatric
Lucy Costa in particular
on this site, followed by eight
helping numerous times to get
patient labourers is
additional plaques throughout the
the word out about this
permanently publicly marked
grounds along the perimeter of
history to in-patients at the
the wall, which explain in word,
at the site where this history
Centre; and the Centre for
image and audio text, various
Addiction and Mental Health
took place.”
aspects of the female and male
which has worked with PSAT
patient
labour
that
was
to preserve the patient-built
undertaken in the vicinity. The
walls and its history for future
unveiling of these plaques is an historical event in
generations to learn from. Gratitude was also
itself for it marks the first time in Canada that the
expressed to individual staff members at CAMH
unpaid toil of psychiatric patient labourers is
who pulled out all the stops in the two months
permanently publicly marked at the site where this
before the event to ensure that the plaques, made
history took place. In so doing, these plaques will
by Systeme Huntingdon Inc. in Quebec, were in
both memorialize patient labourers while helping
place by September 25th. This includes Holly-Ann
to challenge prejudices today by ensuring that
Campbell, Kama Lee Jackson, the CAMH Creative
future generations know about the abilities of the
Services team who helped with the final design,
people who built these walls and who worked
Paul Soares, Joe DeMatos and contractor Tony Del
behind them for so long, receiving neither pay nor
Giudice who did a superb job physically installing
recognition. Now, with these plaques along the
the plaques under an extremely tight deadline.
walls at CAMH, people like Audrey B and Jim P are
Many thanks also go to CAMH Archivist John Court
commemorated for all to think about and
and the Friends of the Archives, including Ed
remember.
Janiszewski for their support of, and work on, this
effort since PSAT first proposed having permanent
Geoffrey Reaume is Associate Professor of Critical
plaques to commemorate the unpaid labour of
Disability Studies at York University. His doctoral thesis
psychiatric patients past on this site. And special
explored patient life at the Toronto Hospital for the Insane,
thanks must be conveyed to all of the individuals
Ontario’s oldest psychiatric hospital, and was republished
as a book in 2009 (Remembrance of Patients Past,
who attended wall tours over the years; these
University of Toronto Press). For an audio history tour of
people have provided a core of support in the
the patient-built wall please call: 416-535-8501, ext.
community for the creation of these wall plaques.
1530.
6
At right, PSAT board member Don
Weitz distributes previous issues of
Voices at our Mad Pride Week
Survivor Showcase info table.
Our display exhibited covers and
copies of periodicals that have been
authored and edited by psychiatric
survivors around the world over the
years, including the Madness Network
News (United States), Phoenix Rising
(Canada), the Not So Patient Voice
(Athens, Ohio), In a Nutshell (British
Columbia), and a multitude of others,
including a wide variety of foreign
language journals.
Many thanks to board member Ji-Eun
Lee for designing and creating the
signage for our table, and who staffed
the adjoining kiosk of the Mad
Students’ Society.
At left, PSAT archivist Mel Starkman poses heroically for the camera.
Visible in the background is an information display for A-Way Express, a
courier service operated and staffed by psychiatric survivors.
On the 15th of this past July, as part of Toronto’s annual
Mad Pride Week,
Below, PSAT chair Geoff Reaume discusses the
showcase with another attendee. Other community
organizations’ tables can be seen in the background.
PSAT
participated in a lively showcase of organizations,
community groups, and peer support services for madidentified people and psychiatric consumer-survivors
in the City Hall Members Lounge. The event, called
“Still Crazy After All These Years,” was coordinated by
A-Way Express Courier Services and catered by the
Raging Spoon. Participants enjoyed live entertainment,
special presentations, complimentary refreshments,
and a panoply of networking opportunities.
Here are some photographs of PSAT’s information
kiosk, as well as some of the board members who
staffed it and answered participants’ questions
that afternoon. Photographs © Eugenia Tsao 2010.
7
WEITZ, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
advocacy, legal advice, and support, and we
identified over eighty prisoners’ rights groups,
newsletters and journals in the United States,
Canada, and other countries, including thirtyseven in Canada. We made a special effort to
reach out to more prisoners, to let them know
that we care deeply about their issues and the
injustices they, like us, have experienced.
Although
the
magazine
stopped
publishing over twenty years ago, the mythic
Phoenix continues to inspire oppressed and
suffering people to rise up out of the ashes and
keep rising.
Because legal rights have been central to
our cause, over the years we took particular
interest in the legal implications of the Canadian
Charter of Rights and Freedoms. “The Charter of
Rights and Freedoms vs. the Psychiatric System”
was the title of a double issue published in
August 1985.
Despite the odds, we brought out two
more issues which rank among our very best.
Our May 1989 issue focused on the psychiatric
atrocities suffered by prisoners. It scrutinized
solitary confinement, forced drugging and the
dangerous behaviour modification “programs”
which still exist in Oak Ridge, the notorious
behaviour modification wing of Penetang
[Penetanguishene Mental Health Centre]. In it,
we established a Prisoner Network, which
prisoners and ex-prisoners could use for
Don Weitz is an antipsychiatry activist, co-editor of
Shrink Resistant: The Struggle Against Psychiatry in
Canada (1988), host-producer of "Antipsychiatry
Radio" on CKLN Radio, PSAT board member, and cofounder of the Coalition Against Psychiatric Assault
(CAPA). He lives in Toronto.
Urgent request
PSAT is currently searching for vacant office space in which to store
its collections and open a reading room. If you know of any available
space, please contact Don Weitz ([email protected]) or Mel
Starkman ([email protected]) as soon as possible. Thanks!
Your by-line here
A
re you interested in contributing to Voices? The PSAT editorial team welcomes submissions of essays, news
articles, op-eds, poetry, short stories, photographs and artwork that fall within our organization’s mandate
of ensuring that the rich history of those who have experienced the psychiatric system is preserved as a
resource from which all communities can share and learn. Contributors retain copyright of their own work. Images
will be published in monochrome.
If you are interested in contributing content to a future issue, please e-mail your submission to
[email protected], with the subject heading “Voices submission,” and a brief author’s
biography. You may include an e-mail address for reader correspondence if you wish. Your piece should either be
saved in one of the following formats — .doc, .pdf, .rtf, .txt, .jpg, .tif — or contained within the body of your e-mail.
Please do not send hard copies of your submission by mail. If your piece is selected for publication, we will notify
you by e-mail. The editors reserve the right to copyedit submissions for grammar and clarity. Thank you!
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